Time To Grow
by FrostysMillenium
Summary: He just lost seven years of his life. Seven years he wouldn t be able to get back. How could they expect him to save them if he wasn t even given the chance to grow into the role they lay out for him?


Time To Grow

He didn´t know if he could handle this.

He knew he was the Hero of Time.

Everybody depended on him.

 _Everything_ depended on him.

But he didn´t know if he could do it.

He was just a small boy.

A small boy in the body of an adult.

After all, he just lost seven years of his life. Seven years he wouldn´t be able to get back.

How could they expect him to save them if he wasn´t even given the chance to grow into the role they lay out for him?

How was he supposed to learn to bear the burden of saving Hyrule, of being the only hope left?

He wasn´t even able to really move in this body.

It was to big, too bulky.

Whereas his movement in the past was smooth and agile, right now it resembled that of an elephant in a _pot-store_!

He didn´t feel right in this body. It just felt so wrong.

Every movement he made, made his head scream at him, at how wrong it felt.

How he could walk longer distances in a shorter time or how he didn´t have to stand on his toes anymore to look at the pedestal of the Spiritual Stones.

It was so wrong.

And still, they expected him to defeat Ganondorf.

He knew he had to awaken the Sages first...but how long would he survive resisting Ganondorf´s forces if he himself couldn´t even move right.

He needed time to figure out how this body worked.

But even Navi didn´t want to give him that time.

Always pestering him to get going.

Of course he wanted to return to the Kokiri Woods and see how everybody was doing, see Saria again, but he couldn´t help it if his moves were too clumsy.

He may be brave, but he was no idiot.

He knew not being able to fight like he used to could cost him his life.

Kind of ironic. How growing up took away all he had learned. Just because he wasn´t able to experience the growth himself.

That was why he stayed within the Temple of Time so long, relearning how to walk, run, roll and even how to swing a sword.

But Navi didn´t understand.

Navi didn´t understand why he was so reluctant to just go and see how it goes.

He knew the world depended on him, that´s why he couldn´t just go like he was now, he didn´t want to risk dying, when he was the only one left being able to do something.

And he still didn´t know how to handle it.

His mind just couldn´t comprehend what happened.

For him, only some days had past since he was sent to the castle by the Great Deku Tree.

And yet, for his body seven years had gone by.

No chance for him to grow up, no chance for him to learn how to actually live life on his own.

No chance to see the world.

He knew he was kept save in these seven years.

But it didn´t help him now. It made everything worse.

Even though he was the bearer of the Triforce of Courage, he felt scared.

He didn´t want to screw up. He didn´t want to be the last hope.

He wanted to go back and the be the small little boy that didn´t even know why he still didn´t have a fairy.

He wanted it so bad, his heart hurt.

But he couldn´t.

He was a hero.

The Hero.

Fated to safe all of Hyrule.

He remembered how shocked he was as soon as he had stepped out of the temple.

He remembered the darkened sky and the smoke clouds.

The dead trees and the destroyed buildings. Even the foul air.

And most of all...he remembered the ReDead. The people that once lived in Castle Town.

That was all the incentive he needed to get to the Kokiri Woods.

He wanted to know how his friends were. If they were alright. If Ganondorf´s forces took them from him too, like they did with everyone living in the town.

He had hoped the woods were left untouched.

But his hope was crushed as soon as he got there.

The small village was full of giant Deku Babas.

And the Great Deku Tree was dead!

He was at least relived to see that almost everybody was alright, if not scared to death.

Except of course, his best friend, Saria.

That was when his fears set in once again, when he began to doubt himself once again.

How could he save Hyrule when he couldn´t even protect his friends.

How could he, a mere boy, defeat Ganondorf, if he was too scared to go into the woods.

That was mostly why he stayed in the small Kokiri village.

He was scared, scared of what he would find should he venture deeper into the forest.

He was just like the rest of the Kokiri, scared of loosing everything he held dear.

But he knew, he didn´t have much of a choice.

He would have to get moving eventually, he knew.

Meeting Mido actually gave him hope….but as soon as he passed the Lost Woods he regretted it, leaving that is.

The labyrinth was the worst.

The walking statues cost him his last nerve.

This was the first time he was glad to have this new body, as he could really run faster than before.

He was extremely lucky that the statues were almost blind as well.

If they could move their heads up and down, he would be dead now.

He didn´t know why something like this had to be his first task.

They really expected miracles of him.

Why would they send out a ten year old boy for something like this?

Did they think, that just because he looked grown up and he was the bearer of the Triforce of Courage, he would breeze though those tasks without getting mental scars?

He knew he wouldn´t get over his new found paranoia soon..and he knew he would have nightmares.

He made camp outside the Forest Temple, after Sheik taught him the Minuet of Forest, because night had risen and he was tired.

Both physically and mentally.

He never had to dodge so many dangerous things at once...and he´d probably never forget the way those statues looked at him as the moon rose, how their red eyes glittered in the dark.

It was a sight he would surely see in many nightmares.

He was too tired to make a campfire...and too paranoid that it would actually lead something to him.

So he sat in a corner beside the entrance, glad that his new tunic was also green, so he blended in a little.

But sleep wouldn´t come easily, and as soon as he fell asleep, he always woke up with a start.

The pounding of the statues in the labyrinth kept him from truly relaxing,

So the night was filled with nightmares and many startled gasps from him, as soon as he woke up again and again.

He stood as soon as the sun began to rise, knowing trying to sleep some more would be futile.

He was tired.

So tired.

But he couldn´t give up now, he knew Saria was in that temple. And he knew she needed help. He had to at least try to safe her.

After all, she was his best friend.

And so, he took a deep breath and let the forest air calm him.

His heartbeat slowed, his mind relaxed and his body began moving.

He opened his eyes and looked at the temple.

Yes, he would save Saria, no matter the cost!

Even though he was scared, and still felt like he was in a stranger´s body, he wouldn´t leave his friend behind.

He could do this.

He could save her.

And she would tell him what to do next.

She would help him through it.

And that´s when he realized, even though he may be in a stranger´s body, and even though he may be scared, that´s alright.

He had his friends to help him.

Navi stayed by his side, even though she was so small and completely defenseless.

He had Impa in Kakariko, Darunia in Goronia, Ruto in the Zora Realm.

And here, here he had Saria.

He just had to get to her.

And he would.

No matter what.

He took out his ocarina and began playing the Prelude of Light.

It was time to visit Kakariko, like Sheik suggested, to get the equipment he needed to get into the temple.

* * *

Hey Guys!

This is my first Legend of Zelda story and I´ve actually had the idea for quite some time.

Hopefully, you liked it :3

Reviews would be appreciated


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